Andrew Garfield, Jennifer Garner and Marcia Gay Harden to Star in BACK ROADS

It looks like Spidey’s found his next film, and it’s not a big-budget action flick. Andrew Garfield, Jennifer Garner and Marica Gay Harden have been tapped to star in the adaptation of Tawni O’Dell’s bestselling novel Back Roads. Adrian Lyne (Fatal Attraction) will direct the murder-mystery drama that tells the story of a young man (Garfield) who is forced to take care of his three sisters after his mother is sent to prison for murdering their abusive father. Garner will portray a neighbor, with whom Garfield strikes up a romance, while Harden will take on the role of Garfield’s therapist. “Several high-profile young actresses” are apparently being vetted to star as Garfield’s sisters.

It’s promising to see Garfield choose darker, more dramatic material like this in light of his recent shot to super-stardom following his casting as Spider-Man. He was pitch-perfect in Never Let Me Go and stood out in an already stellar cast in The Social Network. Garner more than proved she can handle drama with her turn in Juno and Academy Award-winner Harden is fantastic in just about every role she takes on. Variety reports that Lyne is writing the screenplay alongside O’Dell. Hit the jump for a full synopsis of the novel.

Here’s the synopsis for Back Roads by Tawni O’Dell:

In a small Pennsylvania town depressed by coal mine closings, a young man of 19 finds himself thrust into the role of parent. Harley has become the guardian of his three younger sisters as the result of their mother going to jail for the shooting death of their father. Each sibling finds his or her own way of coping with this family tragedy. During his regular visits with a psychotherapist Harley finds some comfort while at the same time feeling disdain for this woman. He is able to satisfy his youthful urges by beginning a series of sexual encounters with an older woman whose daughter is a playmate of his youngest sister. [Amazon]